As Pakistan battles economic woes and political polarization, its leaders are nowhere to be seen in parliament. FAFEN’s latest report reveals Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, and former PM Nawaz Sharif skipped every sitting of the National Assembly’s 23rd session from January 12-22.
The figures are alarming: 276 members absent for at least one of the meetings, 56 (17%) for all. In the cabinet, Balochistan Awami Party’s Khalid Hussain Magsi was the lone minister present throughout; seven others attended zero times.
Media outlet The Express Tribune called it a process ‘hollowed out by absenteeism,’ questioning how democracy thrives when its custodians treat sessions as optional. Notably, 222 members gathered for a bill favoring their own interests, but routine governance drew far less.
FAFEN links this to patterns in earlier terms, including 25% full absences in the 19th session. Political experts decry it as a credibility crisis, urging reforms to mandate attendance. With the nation desperate for economic reforms, leaders’ parliamentary neglect signals deeper governance failures.